Jungles Amongst Deserts
by ItsClydeBitches221B
Summary: A set of interconnected one-shots that surround Ruby and three of her most influential teachers: An inspiring performance, some much needed training, and a quiet talk late at night.
1. Doctor Oobleck

"Paint?"

"Yep!"

"Markers?"

"Uh huh."

"Glitter?"

" _Duh_."

Nora produced each item as Ruby suggested it, pulling them out from under her bed, her closet, Ren's closet… he merely sighed when a large jar of pink glitter came out of his sock drawer.

"Nora. How did that get there?"

"Persistence, Ren."

Ruby made a funny sound in agreement, though it came out pretty distracted. She was already coloring furiously over the paper she'd dragged into JNPR's room. Flat on her stomach, tongue poking out and legs kicking, Ruby pulled back to admire her work. She hummed, then added another star.

"Glue?"

Here Nora paused. She'd been slathering on glitter with her right hand (flicking bits at Ren with her left: "It matches your eyes!") but because there was indeed nothing for the glitter to stick to, it just scattered across the floor every time Nora moved. She stared down at the mess intently. Looked to Ruby. Back to the mess.

"I've failed you horribly."

A warm chuckle came from across the room. Pyrrah stretched, putting her book aside. "Just use the metallic paint, some on each one," she suggested. "We can post them using my semblance."

Ruby gave a tiny, awe-filled gasp. " _Awesome_."

"But the glitter," Nora moaned.

Fondly shaking her head, Pyrrah slide to the floor and grabbed some materials for herself. She flapped a paper at Ren until he took one too, rolling his eyes all the while.

"Mix the glitter into the paint," Pyrrah said and shook her head again at Nora's squeal of joy.

The four of them had only been working another ten minutes or so when the door slammed open. Yang's legs appeared, the rest of her covered by a tower of paper. Blake and Weiss popped out from behind her.

"We're productive," Weiss announced. She took a sheet from the top and held it out for their inspection. "Look at how perfect they are. Well, _mine_ are anyway." Her gaze narrowed down at Ruby's creation. "What is _that_?"

"That," Yang said, "Is my lil' sis' talent shining through." She set the stack down with a "Hup!" and dove to pull Ruby into a bone-crushing hug. "Amazing on and off the battlefield!"

" _You're squashing my lungs_ ," Ruby croaked.

"That's fiiiiiine."

"And my paper."

"Whoops. Sorry then."

Blake looked like she was two seconds away from a full-fledged smile. "Jaune will be back soon. We should get these up while he...?"

"Showers," Ren supplied. "Then he'll polish his shield for at least twenty minutes. I'm making breakfast for dinner," he pointed accurately to a new bag of flour without looking up from his work, "and then he'll train with Pyrrah for a while. Aura work tonight. No need for the roof. If we're lucky we can keep him in here for the rest of the night."

"And if he tries to leave we'll break his legs!" Nora yelled. Her sudden jump sent glitter and papers scattering in all directions.

"... no, Nora."

"Aww."

Weiss muttered something scathing and dropped, trying to rustle everything back into its proper place. Yang absently patted her ponytail.

"Great," she said. "We got anything to post these bad boys with?"

Ren, Nora, and Ruby all pointed. "Pyrrah."

"Pyrrah?"

"Me," she agreed.

Yang tilted her head. "Cool."

"Done," Ruby cried and tossed her picture onto the pile. Ren slide his over a moment later, Nora shoveling a whole mass of glittering papers across the floor with Magnhild. Weiss growled at all three of them.

Blake just sighed. "This is gonna take a while."

"Not with a speedy sister," Yang said. The rest of team RWBY took up a small collections while their leader gathered a whole armful. Ruby used what limited movement she had to give a solemn salute.

"Keep him busy until tomorrow," she told Ren, who nodded, struggling not to smile.

"Ruby," Pyrrah said slowly. "You can't use your speed to post these if you need me to—Ruby!"

Too late. Ruby had already grabbed hold of Pyrrah's collar, let of a whoop, and a split second later the two of them were gone, just a stream of rose petals fluttering in their wake. Nora oooed at the empty space.

"I think I can hear Pyrrah crying in the distance," she said, cocking one ear.

Yang kicked open the door. "Probably. The one time Ruby dragged me through her semblance I couldn't see straight for a week. _Never again_."

"Never at all," Weiss said and tucked her load carefully under one arm. "C'mon, lets take the courtyard. _I_ have tape."

"For what?" a voice asked and the five of them turned to find Jaune standing in the doorway, body and armor dented from Glynda's training. He anxiously rubbed the back of his head as they continued to stare. "Uh... guys? Have I got dirt on my face or... ?"

"... Yes," Blake said, comically straight-faced. "Go shower."

"Um..."

"Now."

"Right," and Jaune turned obediently, still casting curious (and somewhat nervous) looks behind him.

"The stuff our 'fearless leader' comes up with," Weiss groused when he'd left. The others nodded in various levels of agreement, but the rest of team RWBY still headed out toward the courtyard, trailing glitter and sarcasm in their wake.

* * *

Dr. Oobleck's speed allowed him a certain amount of advantage in everyday life. Cooking, cleaning, various chores—he could complete them all within moments, depending on the amount of work and how much he needed his mind to keep up with his body. Getting ready for the day was a piece of cake overall, cleaned and dressed in a fraction of the time it took most huntsmen. The fact that he couldn't be bothered to tuck in his shirt or straighten his tie spoke more of practicality than anything else— they wouldn't stay neat at his speeds anyway. No, might as well use that free time to take a (comparatively) leisurely walk before class.

Which was what brought Oobleck to Beacon's courtyard that sunny, Friday morning, standing still as the proverbial statue. He might have worried the student body if any of them had been awake to see it, but his eyes were still bright and excited, reassuringly so. Oobleck let out a soft, "Well!" and snatched a paper from where it had been tapped to a pillar, setting into motion once again.

The other lovely thing about speed was that it allowed him to traverse the campus and burst into Ozpin's office, all before the headmaster had take that first sip of his drink.

Well... lovely for _Oobleck_.

"Bart," Ozpin said, carefully setting down his mug. There was a single drop of liquid on his scarf that Oobleck's arrival had splashed his way. Ozpin dabbed at it with a smile. "I assume you've seen the students'... extracurricular activity?"

"Marvelous, simply marvelous!" Oobleck cried. He paced in front of the desk, periodically waving the paper in front of Ozpin's face—as if that gave him time to actually read it. "I had no idea they were planning such a thing. I don't know why it didn't occur to me sooner! Why, storytelling is the single best way to retain information, of course it is! Our minds understand stories, love them, adapt to them. Do you know how many rumors I've had to dismantle over the years, simply because they were attached to exciting tales of skill and bravery? Hundreds! But if we can synthesize the actual facts into a narrative... brilliant! The students may learn more than I could teach them in ten, twenty classes!"

"Or rather, better retain what you've already taught them," Ozpin corrected. He tapped his own sheet, plucked from his elevator earlier this morning. "It is something, isn't it?"

It was. Ozpin possessed the one poster Ruby had finished. In truth, her artistic skills didn't extend much beyond the caricature of Port she'd produced that first day of class, but her attempts had a certain... charm to them, nonetheless: four stick figures stood before a large, crudely drawn tower, clearly engaged in defending it from the hoard of Grimm coming from all sides. Ozpin's lips twitched at the fact that, though three were fairly generic figures, one fighter held a scythe, even though he knew from his own studies that the weapons wouldn't be used or popularized until generations later. It was remarkably colorful overall and when he replaced the paper, Ozpin's hand came away with just a tiny bit of glitter. He chuckled, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and nodding towards the text.

" _Come study in style_ ," he read, as Oobleck vibrated. " _Team RWBY presents a dramatic retelling of the Assault on Slann Tower, perfect for First Years prepping for exams. Join us this Sunday for food, fun, knowledge_ —" his eyes narrowed— " _and plenty of fake blood_. Hmm. I think we know who came up with each of those slogans. I'd best warn Glynda."

"Bu you won't stop them, right?" Oobleck asked, suddenly stilling.

Ozpin smiled. "No. I think it's a wonderful idea."

"Yes, yes! Every year it's the same, Ozpin. They're so excited to learn about such a significant, historical battle—"

"—until they realize it really means learning the names of all the generals, underlings, and discarded strategies. They're kids, Bart. They want to hear about the part where humans and faunus slaughtered a ridiculous number of Grimm."

Oobleck scoffed. "We _do_ get to that part."

"Just not before you test them on all the boring stuff."

"Of course!"

Ozpin shook his head, finally taking a sip of his drink. Standing, he stretched and made his way around the desk, placing a hand companionably on Oobleck's shoulder. "I think you'll be pleased with their accuracy overall, despite the theatrics. It's my understanding that team RWBY came up with this little plan in an attempt to help out young Arc. He's struggling in your class?"

"Sleeping through my class is more like it. Still…yes there's a much better chance he'll learn something if it's the beautiful Ms. Schnee telling it to him, but however did you know that?"

"Because he stalks Ms. Rose through the security systems."

They turned to find Glynda gliding out of the elevator, three of the posters held in hand. "Ozpin, what exactly is this?"

He pursed his lips, eyes tilted towards the ceiling. "' _Stalk_ '? That seems a bit harsh..."

"Ozpin."

"It's an act of student lead initiative and creativity," Oobleck declared, snatching the posters from Glynda even as she rolled her eyes. He grinned brightly at the one on top, clearly drawn by Yang. A shadowed figure pummeled through the base of the tower and sent large chunks of rock hurtling towards the Grimm.

"I don't recall _that_ ever happening," Glynda said dryly.

Ozpin shrugged. "Perhaps not. Regardless, knowing what we do of this team, I think it best we _all_ be on standby Sunday night. Glynda?"

"Yes, yes, alright."

"Bart?"

"Oh don't be silly, Ozpin, how preposterous—I wouldn't miss it for the world!"

* * *

Indeed, that Sunday Oobleck was in the very front row, accompanying the esteemed Mr. Arc, their headmaster, and a smattering of the more excitable students. He grinned maniacally as another stream of Ren's homemade blood came flying their way.

"I'm so glad I wore my best coat," Ozpin commented, but his cane happily marked the beats as the fictional huntsmen geared up for another fight, the rest of the students stomping their feet in tandem.

"BREAK. THEIR. LEGS." Nora shrieked from the back.

Up on stage Ruby pointed her way, balancing atop their table-and-cafeteria-bench tower. Below her Yang, Blake, and Weiss were poised in varying combat stances, their costumes a mess and their smiles blinding.

"General Lox didn't break any legs, but he _did_ start a fire. Lox?"

At Ruby's command Yang exploded with power, her aura flickering red and yellow around them.

"Fire to combat the Grimm," Blake called out over the crowd. "Not directly, of course, because Grimm don't feel pain. Set one on fire and what have you got?"

"A flaming problem!" Velvet said, louder and happier than she'd been in weeks.

"Pretty much. Huntsmen and huntresses, don't try this at home." Blake jumped out of the way as Yang did a complicated series of gymnastics, making it appears as if her aura was consuming every inch of the stage. "Fire may not be a good offensive tool, but it did provide the humans and faunus with something else, something they desperately needed with so many Grimm closing in..."

"Cheer!"

"Love!"

"Happiness!"

"Hope!" Pyrrah's voice rose above the others, the only thing that had yet to draw Jaune's attention away from the stage.

"That's right! Grimm may be attracted to negative energy, but it's hope and happiness that repel them." Weiss slid to the front on a flaming path of her own creation, raising Myrtenaster like a professor's chalkboard pointer. "Now! Who can tell me who came up with such a singularly crucial discovery?"

"Annabelle Lox!" someone yelled. Then another: "The General's daughter!"

Weiss cocked an ear. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Annabelle!"

"What?"

"Annabelle!"

She got down on one knee, leaning off the stage to get right in Jaune's face. " _Who?_ "

"Annabelle," he squeaked, squirming away as the crowd laughed.

"Annabelle," Weiss emphasized. She struck the ground with Myrtenaster, creating a spark just as Ruby leapt to the ground. "Who was how old...?"

" _Six!_ " Oobleck shouted.

He couldn't help himself. He'd kept quiet throughout most of the performance, but Annabelle would always be one of his favorite historical figures. A young girl, untrained and terrified, reminding a group of jaded adults that sometimes a symbol of hope was all you needed to turn the tide.

Here and now, Oobleck looked at Ruby Rose up on that stage, not terrified and certainly not untrained... but young, producing in this very room some of the greatest weapons they had against the Grimm: laughter. Enjoyment. Camaraderie. Oobleck knew that he'd never stop learning, particularly as a historian, and he could admit freely that he'd never understood Annabelle's importance quite as well as when Ozpin had invited a child into their school.

Oobleck wasn't blind to the fact that history was in the making, right in front of his face.

For now though, said child was glaring his way.

"Doctor," Ruby hissed. " _Don't cheat_."

"Ah, I'm sorry, dreadfully sorry—"

"Anyone else?" Yang asked, arms spread and laughing. The whole room yelled the correct answer, some lobbying thanks at Oobleck. He sheepishly waved a hand.

"Six-years-old," Weiss sniffed. "What have _you_ all done with yourselves?"

Blake quickly interrupted the criticism. "It was the boost the army needed though. After days under siege and numerous failures. Lives lost and dreams shattered. Armed now with fire, dust, and a new sense of purpose, the human and faunus team, they... well, we all know what happens next, right?"

"They kicked ass!" Nora screamed, causing a reaction of voices so loud it nearly deafened. Amongst the chaos Ruby and Yang returned to the top of their 'tower,' Weiss and Blake launching off to the sides.

Ruby raised a fist. "I don't know if 'kicks ass' will be accepted on the test, but it's pretty accurate!"

She and Yang threw themselves into the air while Blake and Weiss activated their semblances. Weiss summoned a series of ice-carved Grimm, the statues so dark they looked nearly black, while Blake quickly donned a hooded cloak, allowing the copies she created to look appropriately sinister.

Yang and Ruby crossed in mid air and, with just a millisecond to pose for the crowd, came slamming down with all the power of true huntresses. The stage cracked; showers of dust fell from the ceiling. They destroyed the 'Grimm' in one fell swoop and rose with the audience's cheer, the four of them colliding in the middle for a well-deserved bow.

"None of you better fail tomorrow!" Weiss yelled. The arm Ruby wasn't hanging on swung out to point at Jaune. "That means _you_."

"Yes, ma'am!"

The students were already milling and gathering back together, climbing over seats to congratulate team RWBY (or otherwise gently mocking them for the various mistakes throughout their performance). No one paid any mind to their two professors seated up front—approached by a third.

"That was the most ridiculous thing I've ever had the misfortune to witness," Glynda huffed. She snapped out her wrist and a cracks in the stage repaired themselves.

"I think you mean ' _fortune_ ,'" Ozpin said, smiling.

"Don't tell me what I mean. It's going to take ages to clean all this up."

"And you wouldn't have it any other way."

Ozpin said it with such confidence—such truth—that Glynda's lips twisted briefly into a smile. She coughed though, hiding her face against any curious eyes.

"Well, I certainly can't comment on the academic merits of that performance. A useful summary, I admit, but there were more than a few inaccuracies that I'm sure our resident historian has something to say about, isn't that right, Bartholomew? Bart?"

Oobleck was still staring at the stage though, keeping amazingly still. He watched as RWBY came together with JNPR, recounting events and lightly teasing Mr. Arc. All of them shone with a youthful optimism that had him nodding in turn.

"I think," he said simply, "that the Grimm won't be nearing our boarders tonight."

Ozpin hummed. "Indeed."

"... fair enough," Glynda said and took a moment to watch with her colleagues. For now, the cleanup could wait.

* * *

Normality returned quickly to Beacon Academy—there were lessons to learn and monsters to fight; a whole slew of new things to experience.

One huntsmen's mind would always be on the past though, even if it was the recent past of just a week before. Flitting about his office as he graded paper after paper, Oobleck took a split second of precious time to smile down at the First Years' tests, one in particular.

"Well done, Mr. Arc," he said, and circled the 92 in green.


	2. Ms Goodwitch

Nearly an hour of battle now and Team RWBY wasn't lagging.

"Down and out!"

Blake and Weiss immediately crouched, shot forward, and using sheath and sword respectively, took out the lower halves of a series of Grimm. Yang dove and picked her baby sister up with ease, throwing Ruby nearly twenty feet into the air. She spread her cloak, letting the surface area slow her fall, and used that time to let out a massive string of shots. Each bullet wormed its way around her team and into the head or heart of a Grimm—perfect, deadly accuracy.

Ruby landed beside Weiss, back-to-back and ready for more.

"This is amazing," she said, grinning and planting her feet.

"This is endless," Weiss groused. She was just as steady as Ruby, though both girls were beginning to breathe heavier, their limbs weighted down from endless swings. "Where's Oobleck?"

Zwei's bark and an explosion came from down the hill, reassuring the girls that their huntsman chaperone was still taking care of that other pack, single handedly no less. Ozpin had been more than pleased with the results of their last mission—"Perhaps we should bend more rules in the future, hmm?"-for though it had been chaotic, sure, Team RWBY, Ooblekc, and Zwie _had_ successfully thwarted a full-scale invasion, an attack that no one had seen coming, and one that would have cost countless civilian lives if not for their efforts. Keeping the Grimm at bay until reinforcements arrive is no simple task and one that, for Ozpin at least, was indicative of their skill level. Diminishing some of the Grimm that hounded the boarders of their school was a comparatively easy assignment.

They just hadn't expected quite this many. Team CFVY didn't exaggerate.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Weiss accused. She huffed when Ruby companionably bumped her hip.

"Yep!"

"Well enjoy it faster, would you? I'd prefer not to miss dinner."

Fair enough. Ruby's stomach gave a sympathetic growl. She took quick stock of her team—Yang facing off against two Ursa, Blake dispatching a Beowulf, turning to help—and then stepped back onto the glyph Weiss had summoned for her.

"I'll pick off the ones you miss," she said, raising Myrtenaster.

Ruby grinned. "Settle in then."

"Hey!"

She didn't give Weiss the chance to craft a witty retort. Ruby crouched and pushed off the glyph, using the extra burst of speed to throw herself head first into her semblance. The difficulty was always maintaining visibility and precise movement while keeping to this velocity, figuring out how to get her mind to keep up with the speed of her body. Ruby could admit that she'd nowhere near mastered it yet, and she'd meant to speak to Oobleck about it, but for now she'd just have to be a little sloppy.

So Ruby kept Crescent Rose in a stable arch away from her body, letting it fall where it wanted, Grimm heads, torsos, and legs flying in all directions—then turning back for a second pass if the first didn't do the job.

It was over in a matter of seconds, forty at the most, leaving Ruby exhilarated and just this side of exhausted. She caught a glimpse of Yang and Blake running towards them before she landed back beside Weiss.

"How was that?" she asked, forcing the words out between deep breaths. " _Woo_!" Ruby hung her head briefly between her knees.

Rose petals. She'd always loved the byproduct of her semblance. It admittedly wasn't the greatest for stealth, but arching high through the air, weapon in hand and trailing petals in her wake... it was just so much more romantic, you know?

So Ruby smiled down at the scatterings by her feet. Spring was in full bloom and the petals stood out vibrantly against the grass—blood-red, stark against green.

Except… it took Ruby a moment to realize there really _was_ blood mixed in.

She looked up, numb, and found Weiss clutching at her size. It looked like there were rose petals there too, blooming against the white of her dress.

* * *

"I'm fine! Why are you being such a pest?"

"It's because she looooooves you."

"Shut _up_ , Yang."

Yang retaliated by swooping down to poke at the bandage on Weiss side, causing her to give an exaggerated yelp. The two started swatting at one another, giving Blake time to sidle up to Ruby.

"She really is fine," she whispered, placing a hand briefly against the younger girl's back. "It's just a scratch. Besides, it's Weiss' fault for getting distracted."

"You all are awful at this comforting thing," Weiss yelled, pointing an accusatory finger Blake's way. Blake just shrugged, smiling slightly and plopping down on her bed.

Ruby swallowed hard. She had to admit that Weiss _looked_ okay. They'd been in the infirmary all of ten minutes before a nurse popped in, used a fraction of her semblance to stitch up the wound, wrapped it, and sent the four of them on their way. Oobleck even said it would be a minor mention in his report— "Why, if no one got injured after that long a battle it would have been extraordinary, extraordinary, girls! Happens to the best of us. Just be mindful of your surroundings Ms. Schnee, hope you feel better soon, gotta run!"—Indeed, before he'd disappeared Ruby had noticed a similar cut along Oobleck's forearm, courtesy of an Ursa's claw. Blake had twisted her ankle ("You sure you don't want a piggyback ride?" "... yes, Yang."), Yang had a jagged cut along her cheek ("I think that's from a tree branch actually." "You and Juane should swap stories." "Hey!"), Zwei needed a hot bath to treat the pads of his paws ("Ruff!"), and even Ruby felt the consequences of battle in her lower back—she'd probably managed to pull something. It was like Oobleck said, coming out of that with minor cuts and bruises was _fantastic_. A clean run would have been extraordinary.

So why couldn't she get the image of Weiss' blood out of her mind?

"Hello, Remanent to Ruby." Ruby blinked when Weiss leaned forward to smack her head. "There you are. Jeez, I swear you take this 'leader' stuff a little too seriously sometimes. Don't let it go to your head." Weiss paused, suddenly very interested in the dark outside their window. "And... I suppose I could have been a little more alert. Though it's hardly my fault that Boarbatusk was so tiny. It came out of nowhere!"

Yang snickered. "'Tiny' isn't the best defense, Weiss."

"Though you do seem to have trouble with them..." Blake added.

"Maybe we should tell Professor Port about this."

They were the first words Ruby had spoken since her flurry of apologies out on the field and Weiss' glare, though intense, also had a layer of relief to it. The unwelcome tension among them broke.

"Don't you dare," Weiss huffed, smiling ever so slightly. Then she gasped. "Crap! We missed dinner!"

"Language," Yang teased, wagging a finger. "Let's sneak down to the kitchens. Betcha there's great leftovers this time of night."

"Are we even allowed to do that?" But Blake stood, stretching and helping Weiss to her feet.

Ruby shrugged. "Out of all the rules we could break, I think this is the one Ozpin would mind the least. I'll grab the others. Nora will freak if we get pancakes without her."

So Ruby slipped out of their room, closing the door on the argument starting up about whether they should really eat breakfast for dinner. She paused before knocking on JNPR's door though. She froze really.

Yeah, it was just a scratch and sure, maybe Ruby did let responsibility go to her head sometimes... but she was still their leader. It was _her_ job to protect _them_.

Just a scratch.

As far as Ruby was concerned, that was one scratch too many.

* * *

"You guys go on ahead," Ruby said. "I want to ask a quick question."

"Anything I can answer?" Weiss offered. Four days since their assignment and though Weiss' side was completely healed—had been since Monday—Ruby's anxiety hadn't lessened. They'd all noticed it, and they'd all been offering her support in their own little ways: Yang with almost motherly pep talks, Blake gifting Ruby with books she could lose herself in, and Weiss making herself available for homework help. Ruby appreciated their efforts, she really did, but this wasn't something she could fix by ignoring it.

Not that a part of her wasn't tempted to try.

"Nah," she said, waving them off. Ruby plastered on a bright smile. "I'll catch up with you at lunch."

"You'd better."

Yang herded Weiss out of the classroom, Blake nodding as she brought up the rear. Ruby waited until their voices disappeared down the hall before taking in a deep breath, standing, and making her way down the steps.

Theory was one thing, but little knowledge at Beacon was worthwhile without practical application. With that in mind, Aura Studies 101 had moved from a small seminar classroom to a massive arena space, perfect for mock battles and violent demonstrations. Normally Ruby loved it—the size, the freedom, her voice echoing high against the walls—but now the room felt paradoxically claustrophobic and Ruby cursed because this walk was taking way too long.

She finally got down to the flat stage, stopping by the desk set off to the side.

"Yes, Ms. Rose?" Professor Goodwitch asked.

Ruby swallowed, shuffling in place. She opened her mouth a couple of times but nothing came out. It got to the point where Glynda actually looked up from her work and, yeah, she didn't look pleased.

"Yes?"

"I want you to teach me," Ruby blurted then smacked her forehead because that hadn't come out right at all. Glynda seemed to agree. The briefest smile flit across her face, missed entirely by Ruby, before she settled on a cool stare, one eyebrow raised.

"I was under the impression that I already _did_ that," she said. "Unless you have a complaint against my teaching style...?"

"No!" Ruby waved both hands frantically. "No, I mean, I love the class, of course I do, Aura is great and I mean sure, maybe we could do more cool fighting stuff instead of dry theory stuff, but I get why that's important, I really do, and you're great too, I swear—"

"Ms. Rose."

"... right." Ruby blinked. "What was I saying?"

With a sigh Glynda rose, gathering up papers, books, and pens in one swoop of her riding crop. They piled into a bag which she slung over her shoulder.

She cast Ruby an appraising look. "Ozpin was right," she announced. "You'll be far more forthcoming in an informal environment. Perhaps with something nutritious, considering that I doubt you'll consume anything substantial later tonight."

"... what?" Ruby said.

Glynda lightly nudged her as she passed. "Come to my office and we can discuss whatever's upsetting you over lunch."

"Oh. Great!"

* * *

Sort of great.

Glynda was still pretty intimidating, but she did know how to put together a nice meal. There was a plate of tea sandwiches between them, a large bowl of fruit, iced tea, and a plat of cookies just for Ruby, to be eaten _after_ the rest. Glynda's office was warm and far more heavily furnished than the Headmaster's. Ruby thought that this would be a nice room for a nap, or maybe to curl up with a favorite book. Neither of which she could do right now, of course. Which was kind of a pity.

Ruby nibbled absently at the chicken salad and kicked her legs, stubbornly avoiding her teacher's gaze.

"Ms. Rose."

"Mmm."

"Ruby."

She looked up, smiling sheepishly. Glynda just folded her arms. When no words were forthcoming she pressed two fingers briefly to the bridge of her nose. "Perhaps you should start at the beginning?"

The beginning? Yeah... yeah she could do that.

So after a false start ("Not _that_ far back"), Ruby spilled it all to Glynda: the meeting with Professor Ozpin about conducting another mission, the slightly better reaction this time to seeing Oobleck out by their ship, jumping into a whole herd of Grimm, splitting off from their teacher, holding their own for an hour, the fights adding up, Weiss joking about dinner, Weiss' glyph, Weiss' blood—

Ruby stopped, snapping her mouth shut. She snatched up a cookie and bit into it viciously.

Glynda didn't answer immediately. To Ruby's surprise she also picked up a cookie and examined it closely. She didn't eat it though, just observed.

"You're young," she finally said. "I wouldn't have let you into Beacon at your age, Ms. Rose... but I also can't deny that you've more than held your own here. You've also proven yourself to be a capable leader. I can't believe that you're still buying in to the naïve notion that you can completely protect your team from harm."

Slowly, Ruby shook her head. It wasn't that.

"And from what I understand, it was Ms. Schnee's own lack of concentration that lead to her injury. I understand how jarring it can be to see a teammate injured, but you must keep in mind that you are all part of a _whole_. Ms. Schnee, Belladonna, and Xiao Long, are all capable fighters and you are not solely responsible for their welfare. That's simply impossible to—"

"You did it."

Normally Ruby would have frozen at the knowledge that she'd interrupted Ms. Goodwich, but she was a little busy staring down at her hands, gripping tight at the edge of her skirt. Glynda was quiet across from her.

"You did that when we first met," Ruby continued, barely above a whisper. "You fought Torchwick and that lady _and_ kept me safe. You moved so fast when you arrived I didn't even see you, and then you got me out of the way of those blasts before I even knew there were blasts to get out of the way from." Ruby took a deep breath and looked up. "I need to be able to do that too. Fight _and_ keep everyone safe."

"... You realize that I have years of experience, to say nothing of training you haven't even touched on yet?" When Ruby's stubborn expression remained, Glynda leaned forward. "However… I would never deny a huntress's willingness to improve herself and the fact that you noticed my assistance at all is an excellent sign."

Ruby blinked. "It is? I mean, it's kinda hard to miss someone saving your life, isn't it? Twice, actually. Did I ever thank you for that? I don't think I thanked you for that."

"You'd be surprised," Glynda said, sidestepping the question. She set down her plate and moved to stand behind her desk. "Too often huntsmen and huntresses allow the fear—or even the thrill—of battle to otherwise cloud their perception. Without consciously working against it, your vision will narrow down to only the Grimm in front of you. You will think of and notice nothing else. I suspect that's what happened during your mission, yes?"

More like her vision had become nothing but a black blur of Grimm due to her semblance. Ruby got what Glynda meant though. Yang, Blake, Weiss... they all just disappeared for a time.

Ruby nodded.

"The skill you need to develop then is one of attention. Speed is certainly a factor, the ability to react to what you perceive, but far harder than that is learning how to notice what's around you and maintaining that level of awareness, even while your life is on the line. A sort of battle multitasking."

"... okay," Ruby said.

Glynda spread her arms. "What do you see, Ms. Rose?"

Ruby grinned. "Are you gonna tell me you see lives that could have been saved? Ah... um, never mind, that's Dr. Oobleck—never mind. Uh… I see books, paper... um, knick-knacks, oh! You have a collapsible spear!"

"Very good." Glynda's tone brought her back on track. "The point is you notice things, quite obviously, but you need to notice details too." She pointed sharply. "This isn't just 'a book,' it's _Semblance Semantics_ by Gen Futhers. It has a red cover and appears rather worn. Similarly, that spear you're so interested in is an antique. Beyond the fact that it rests on a stand, you may note the crack along the handle and the rust surrounding the tip. The usefulness of such details is in your analysis of them. If I were to attack you right now, when you are without your weapon and in a vulnerable position, _but_ you were to notice all that about the spear, you'd determine that it is _not_ the best object to defend yourself with."

"… It's probably gonna break with one hit," Ruby murmured.

"Exactly. On the other hand, this letter opener looks particularly sharp and is well within your reach. That seems a far better option, despite the fact that it is not a weapon in the traditional sense. Now, apply the same sort of analysis to your teammates. Don't just notice that Ms. Schnee is there, learn to notice her body language, expressions, minute reactions that will tell you what she needs at any given moment. Read her as you would the potential weapons in this room." Glynda tapped a finger against her lips. "Of course, you then need to apply that to every person you fight beside. This is why familiarity cannot be underestimated, the intuition that comes with knowing someone intimately."

"But you didn't know me," Ruby pointed out.

"Yes. Which is why the rest comes down to practice."

With a sharp gesture Glynda sent the room into motion: the food slipped out of Ruby's grasp and the plates slotted themselves among the books, the desk pushed itself up against the door—effectively blocking her escape—and the chair she'd been sitting in gently tipped forward, depositing Ruby on her feet before sliding up against the wall. While all this was happening Glynda had taken about six sheets of paper from the desk and poured ink onto all of them. Instead of sinking through though, the ink sat patiently atop the paper as Glynda floated the sheets up into the air. They surrounded Ruby in a circle and then the ink began to shift, into a smiley face, a 3, a pinecone, a ship… Ruby didn't get through them all, distracted by Glynda stepping in front of her, riding crop raised like a sword.

"Wait, wait, you're _actually_ going to fight me?" Ruby cried.

"It will be good for you to practice in an enclosed space. You've been spoiled with open fighting grounds and that scythe of yours."

"Oh," Ruby said faintly. She didn't feel very spoiled.

But the mention of Crescent Rose reminded her of its absence and she tensed, eyeing the letter opener that was now way across the room. Ruby completely lost her footing though when Glynda chuckled. Actually _chuckled_.

"Good," she said, "But you won't need that. All I want you to do is pay attention." Glynda pointed to the floating papers, which Ruby now realized were changing their image every few seconds.

"Okay," she said, relaxing a bit.

"I also want you to dodge," and Ruby just barely managed to twist as a bolt of energy came hurtling her way.

* * *

Professor Port was having an all around jolly day. Morning classes had been thrilling as always (though he had to be sure he didn't give away _all_ his best stories. Not yet anyway), he'd grabbed an early lunch with Bart, shared drinks with Ozpin, and finished a lovely lecture about Ursai just moments before... the only downside was that young Ms. Rose had been missing from class today.

A student playing hooky? Ha! Hardly a rarity! But Ms. Rose had a particular talent for finding trouble and apparently her team hadn't seen her since Glynda's class some hours before. Thus, Port was duty bound—as a teacher and as a huntsman!—to check up on their youngest pupil.

Which was what had now brought him here.

Port stopped outside Glynda's office, hoping she might have some insight about their wayward student. He raised his hand to knock, when—

 _A shout of power, a high-pitched shriek of alarm, something shattering, another thing cracking, the sizzling of two semblances fighting for control, and within this the oddest of conversations—_

 _"Blue! Table! Dog!"_

 _"_ Dogs _. How many?"_

 _"Uh—four!"_

 _"Wrong!"_

Port slowly lowered his hand. His mustache twitched.

"Ms. Rose is a talented huntress in training," he announced, seemingly to himself. "I'm sure she's _fine_."

Huntsman or no, Port felt absolutely no shame as he turned and fled.

* * *

Ruby lay on the floor of Glynda's office, panting like a hard worn mutt Her teacher stood over her with arms on her hips, her clothes and hair completely immaculate—though those were the only things that were. The rest of the room was a mess of paper, scorch marks, and variously destroyed objects. Ruby watched in awe as things started piecing themselves back together and groaned that Ms. Goodwitch had the energy to fix the room. The whole room!

When she was done Glynda raised her eyebrows, almost teasingly. "What are the papers doing now, Ms. Rose?"

"Spinning."

"Mm."

It was true enough. Ruby didn't need to crane her neck and see because _everything_ was spinning, her body worn in a way it hadn't been since... well, since Uncle Crow used to train her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd used her semblance so much, certainly not in so small a space, the confinement forcing her to duck and turn and change direction more often than she'd like. To say nothing of those stupid papers.

What's on your right? Your left? Behind you? What color? How big? How many? Now guard it. Seize it. Get it out of harm's way. Can you leave it for a moment? Is it worth crossing the room? Nope, sorry, the pencil I'm controlling just stabbed it from behind—your pretty paper is dead.

Ruby groaned at the memory. She'd gotten a little mad then, Ms. Goodwitch's taunt hitting too close to home... the white paper a little too much like Weiss when Ruby was pumped up on adrenaline. She'd attacked Ms. Goodwitch then, employing the hand-to-hand Uncle Crow had taught her, but everything felt small and unwieldy without her scythe. Ms. Goodwitch had blocked her with ease and after that she'd added offense to it all: answer her questions, guard the papers, control your semblance, _and_ look for openings to attack. She'd only managed to land one hit during the whole... how long had she been here?

Ruby hadn't realized she'd said that last bit out loud.

"Almost four hours now," Glynda said, pulling a pretty pocket watch from the folds of her skirt. "Ah... and you've missed Peter's class. I'm sorry about that. I'll be sure to speak with him about your absence."

"... I think I heard him at one point."

Glynda titled her head. "Really?"

"Or, you know, hallucination. Could be that too." With a whine Ruby heaved herself into a sitting position, looking up at her teacher. "That was _fun_."

"You did well," she praised and offered Ruby a hand. When she was sure she wouldn't topple over, Glynda retrieved the miraculously untouched sandwiches... and the plate of cookies. "Here, take these with you. I fear you missed lunch as well. You'll need the calories after your appetite returns. No dilly dallying now. Back to your room, eat what you can, and go straight to bed. _No_ , I don't care what time it is. Have your team wake you for dinner. You need rest after that." Glynda's voice softened. "I don't normally work my students that hard."

Ruby nodded dazedly. A part of her sort of questioned that—she wasn't hard in class?—but the rest of her was too tired to care. The plates drooped heavily in her hands and Ruby's feet felt like lead as she turned towards the door.

"Can we do that again?" she asked faintly.

"Yes. _Later_."

"Okay. Thanks, Ms. Goodwitch."

"You're very welcome. Ah, and Ms. Rose?" A warm hand settled on Ruby's back gently guiding her through the door.

"Asking for my autograph? That has always been thanks enough."

* * *

Thursday morning, Ms. Goodwitch's Aura class, and Ruby was still beyond exhausted. She barely moved when Nora nudged her sharply in the back, leaning down from her seat.

"I still can't believe you went off and had awesome training without us," she whispered fiercely.

Beside Ruby, Weiss nodded. "You should have brought us with you," she hissed. "We're your team."

Yang chuckled. "Not me. I don't want the extra work. More power to ya though, sis."

"I think you're Ms. Goodwitch's favorite now," Blake said. "Maybe you'll get extra credit."

"Or harder tests," Ren countered.

Pyrrah smiled. "Either way, you should be proud, Ruby."

"You're nuts."

With Jaune's two cents thrown in, Ruby groaned, briefly resting her head against the desk. Only for a moment through, because Ms. Goodwitch was finishing her lecture and moving on to the practical demonstration.

"Like this," she said and Ruby did her best to perk up. Glynda raised her riding crop and five red balls floated over from the back of the room. "My semblance is particularly suited for delicate work," the balls began spinning in intricate patterns before her, slowly picking up speed, "but all of you must strive to gain as much control over your own abilities as possible. Learning, for example, how to hit someone in order to knock them out, rather than kill." Yang straightened as Glynda's gaze landed on her. "Or how to embrace creativity." Blake nodded. "... or even control speed."

Ruby gulped.

"The importance of practice cannot be understated. Even a little bit of work each day can make an enormous differ—oh!"

One of the red balls, now moving at an extraordinary speed, suddenly shot off course. Ruby didn't see it. She'd ducked her head after getting called out, desperately pretending to scribble down notes. Her eyes were fixed entirely on her paper. All Ruby knew was that one moment her hand held her pencil, the next her fingers were wrapped around something soft. The class gasped.

Ruby looked up and found the wayward ball an inch from Weiss' face, her hand keeping it from making contact. Ruby blinked at the sudden, peripheral memories: Weiss' expression a second past, a gust of wind as something rushed by, the barely-there blur of red. Ruby gapped at the red splash that was _not_ covering the white of Weiss' dress.

"Very good, Ms. Rose."

Ruby's head whipped back. Ms. Goodwitch raised her hand to call the balls back to her. She wasn't smiling, but she did have a rather distinctive look in her eye. "And my apologies, Ms. Schnee. The lapse just goes to show that there is no such thing as perfection. You can never practice enough."

"Lapse my ass," Yang muttered, looking at Ruby in appreciation. "I take it back. I'm tagging along next time."

"Same," Blake said.

"Same," Weiss echoed. "... and thanks."

"Welcome," Ruby whispered back. She sat up as straight as she could, listening to JNRP whisper similar promises to join her during the next, impromptu training session. Ruby didn't think Ms. Goodwitch would mind.

She caught her eye then. That look was still there. Ms. Goodwitch knew that she knew, and Ruby thought she looked pretty happy about it too.

Glynda clapped her hands sharply, regaining their attention.

"So, shall we get started?"


	3. Headmaster Ozpin

Mindfulness and perception followed Ruby everywhere now, like a second weapon she kept cleaned and oiled next to Crescent Rose. She kept it close and applied it whenever she could, becoming so used to noticing that she almost _didn't_ notice... which was why she nearly missed the second presence at her back.

Alone out by Beacon's pond, Ruby should have felt at least a hint of unease. But there was no one who would harm her here, and she knew that shadow pretty well now.

"Hey there, Headmaster."

If Ruby wanted to congratulate herself on noticing him, it was lessened somewhat by Ozpin's position: sitting rather languidly on the bench, feet stretched out in the grass like he'd been there a while. Maybe he had. In fact, Ruby would bet cookies on it.

"How'd you do that?" she asked softly. It seemed like a soft kind of moment.

Ozpin raised his eyebrows, rather teasing. "Do what?"

Ruby huffed. "You know what. Sitting there for however long you were sitting there for, before you let me notice you." She shrugged at his surprised look. "Ms. Goodwitch is teaching me how to pick up on details and...uh... how'd she put it... ? Oh! 'Be mindful of your surroundings, so much so that nothing can get past your defenses.'"

"That does sound like Glynda..." Ozpin let out a laugh, patting the space beside him. Ruby sat. She wasn't sure she appreciated the look Ozpin was giving her though.

"What?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Nothing. Just wondering how you can be so successful in Glynda's teachings, so observant... and yet fail to notice the _time_." Ozpin produced a pocket-watch and dangled it before her. The hands pointed to a good hour past curfew.

"Shoot!" Ruby gripped at her hair. "Aw, sir, I'm sorry. I swear I didn't realize—"

Ozpin chuckled kindly. "It's alright, Ruby, I'm far from mad. If anything, it's a pleasure to see you taking your studies so seriously." He side-eyed her, just a bit. "And I _was_ here for quite a while... chocolate?"

The clock had been replaced by a green bag of sweets and Ruby took one without hesitation, then a couple more when Ozpin left the bag enticingly between them. Though they all had the same silver wrapper on the outside and appeared to look the same, each was a surprise when Ruby bit into it. She got milk chocolate, then dark, raspberry filling, something that tasted faintly of almonds... the unexpectedness was as neat as the taste itself and Ruby had plowed through a significant portion before it occurred to her that this might be... well. Rude.

"Uh..." Ruby quickly wiped a bit of peanut butter from her lip. "Sorry? Training sorta makes me hungry..."

Ozpin shook his head. "I wouldn't have offered the bag if they weren't for you to eat. I come prepared now, after you so successfully demolished that plate of cookies." He nudged the bag again, despite Ruby's expression, and she dutifully stuffed another chocolate into her mouth, if only to postpone having to say anything.

Ozpin kindly changed the subject. "Did you know that power is often linked to an excessive love of sweets?"

Ruby's eyes popped. "Mm mmm!"

"I say 'linked'..." Ozpin waved a hand. "It's perhaps more honest for me to say that I have _noticed_ a _potential_ link between the two. Those with extraordinary semblances and fighting prowess have a tendency to crave foods high in fats and sugars, perhaps because their bodies need the extra calories...or perhaps I'm simply reading into thing, as they say." He smiled. "But you may have noticed that your instructors indulge in more subtle ways. Ms. Goodwitch, for example, has a particular fondness for gingersnaps. Bart puts so much cream and sugar into his coffee that it's hardly coffee at all. Others bypass that entirely and go straight to hot chocolate..."

Ozpin bent, retrieved the white mug at his feet, and toasted her.

Ruby stared.

It hit her randomly nowadays: this strange feeling of having a relationship with her headmaster. It wasn't like this with her other professors, not even Oobleck, and Ruby had actually traveled with him, lived at his side. The feeling was similar in temperament to what she had with Uncle Qrow... but Ozpin wasn't family. Not technically.

The only thing Ruby could settle on was that he was a friend. Or something like it. Which made this little speech all the more weird.

"Is that why you let me come here?" Ruby asked and was pretty relieved when Ozpin immediately shook his head.

"No, no. I let you into my school for a number of reasons, but chief among them was because you wanted to come and because you _asked_." Ozpin took an easy sip of his drink. "Between you and me, you aren't the only student who got here largely out of perseverance—though your ability to _remain_ speaks far more highly of your skill set, of course."

Ruby squinted at him in the dark. She hadn't understood a lot of that, frankly. What student had gotten here just because they wanted to? Weiss? No, she had money, sure, but Ruby knew better than anyone that she had the talent too, even more now that she'd joined Ms. Goodwitch's training. Besides, she couldn't imagine Ozpin accepting a bribe from anyone (no matter how hopefully Nora remained). So who...?

"Don't think too much on it, Ruby," Ozpin said. "I shared my little theory only to pass the time... and perhaps to ease your mind about helping yourself to chocolate."

"And to answer my question."

Ruby said it far more decisively than she was feeling, but Ozpin's smile told it all. Yang, with sisterly status, had a tendency to tease Ruby about her 'simpleness,' as she called it, but even she could work out the basic logic: Ozpin had controlled exactly when Ruby could sense him. Powerful people apparently liked sweets... and it certainly hadn't escaped her notice that he'd been sneaking two chocolates for every one she had.

Just then there was a flash of silver as Ozpin tucked another wrapper into his pocket.

"Perhaps you're right," he said and that was even more of an answer than Ruby had expected. Ozpin had the same expression as when he'd pointed out her silver eyes, and a spark reminiscent of when he'd announced her leadership. Ruby knew by now that Ozpin wouldn't admit too much straight out—let alone give her an explanation. He'd only release hints: tiny implications of power in the unwrapping of sweets.

Maybe understanding that, even accepting it, was some sort of perception too.

So Ruby stretched. She found the last chocolate at the bottom of the bag, split it in half—caramel, sticky in the middle—and dropped the larger bit into Ozpin's waiting hand. She didn't feel like standing up again. The exercise she'd been working on was a simple one: dodge the fireflies. Beacon's campus swarmed with them after dark, especially around the lake, and though Ruby had always loved throwing herself into their midst, now the silly game was actually helping her. Weaving in and out of such tiny targets was no easy task, even with her semblance, but with a better sense of the world around her—and a healthy appreciation for history, why she _needed_ these skills—Ruby was managing. Succeeding, even.

Ozpin noticed her gaze, poised on the lights dancing before them. "You've been busy lately," he said and Ruby recognized it for the praise it was.

How do you thank someone for the simple things? Like words and chocolate? Passion... or even just a bit of your time? Ruby figured that continuing the conversation was as good a way as any.

"What are you doing out anyway?" she asked. Maybe small talk should have come first... but when had they ever done thing's 'right'?

That was so boring.

Ozpin slid down the bench a bit. He smiled up at the stars. "I'm enjoying my night, Ruby," he said. "You?"

"Same, sir. Same."

~fin.


End file.
